Developer Reading List

Node, or what used to be called node.js, is the latest fashion in writing Web apps. It is essentially a single-threaded, JavaScript-based framework for writing computationally simple Web apps. The thing that has pushed Node's popularity is its core simplicity, which contrasts with traditional heavier solutions. This book presents all you need to know to get going and do some interesting things in Node. It starts off with download, installation, and configuration; then veers into various packages and frameworks that work with Node to provide needed functionality. (If all you want is information on getting started and a 100-page lay of the land for the Node ecosystem, O'Reilly's Node Up and Running is a recent option.) The present volume, also from O'Reilly, is a deeper treatment that explores NoSQL options (MongoDB and Redis), Express framework, and Connect middleware among other packages, plus discussion of image and document handling.

The presentation is clear, the code (in JavaScript) is sufficient, and the book takes you quickly from bumbling novice to confidence in your skills. At 350 pages, it's a substantial superset of the other Node book I mentioned above, and yet it carries the same price, so I recommend getting this volume.

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